


The Doctor, Waiting

by fannishliss



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-10 09:53:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5581287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fannishliss/pseuds/fannishliss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>this is a sequel to <a href="http://fannishliss.livejournal.com/99072.html">Bridging the Divide</a>. The Doctor and Rose are together -- but now he has to take a risk in order to save Reinette.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Doctor, Waiting

**title: The Doctor, Waiting**  
author: [](http://fannishliss.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://fannishliss.livejournal.com/)**fannishliss**  
rating: G this story  
pairing: Nine/Rose  
spoilers: AU for Girl in the Fireplace  
warnings: none  
length: 1800w

summary: this is a sequel to [Bridging the Divide](http://fannishliss.livejournal.com/99072.html). The Doctor and Rose are together -- but now he has to take a risk in order to save Reinette.

  
===

"Emergency Protocol One?" Rose said, horror flooding her voice.

The Doctor hushed her. "No worries, love. It'll take you and Mickey home, and I'll be waiting for you there."

Mickey, spooked by the malevolent clockwork men, had gone inside the Tardis for safety, while the Doctor told Rose his plan.

"Waiting?" Rose said, and then she realized what he meant. "You mean, like, in France? With her?"

The Doctor looked at Rose. "No, not with her," he mocked. "She dies of tuberculosis in 1764. Then I just have two or three centuries to muck about the place before I turn up to meet you in London."

"Muck about?" said Rose weakly.

"I doubt I'd stay in France. Rather too interesting, eighteenth-century France— I fancy keeping me head on me shoulders, thanks."

"Why don't you program the Tardis to pick you up earlier?" The Doctor probably didn't realize the panicky horror that the idea of the Emergency Protocol triggered in Rose.

"Can't do it," the Doctor said. "Too risky. You know she's not the easiest thing to fly, right, and getting away from the time distortions on this ship will be tricky enough. The Protocol's the only thing for it — returning her to a fixed point where she's already been."

"But two and a half centuries," Rose cried. "You won't even remember me by then!"

The Doctor stepped closer and took her hand in his, caressing her palm despite its panicky sweat, reestablishing their connection; Rose felt their love pulse hot through the touch, real and strong, visceral and soul-deep.

"I told you, Rose. I can't forget you. You're part of me now," he answered softly.

"But you were quite taken with her. She read your mind, she said," Rose said, looking away.

"She didn't read my mind," he denied, "—maybe just the back cover," he allowed teasingly.

Unimpressed, Rose made no answer.

"Rose," the Doctor said. "Rose, look at me, love," he said, when she wouldn't meet his eyes. "Haven't you ever snogged someone just out of —you know, friendliness? politeness?" He searched his mind for his own motives. "....curiosity?" he hazarded.

"No!" Rose answered heatedly, her hand still sweating despite his cool and comforting grip.

"Aren't you the virtuous one?" he commented, but without much bite. Still it annoyed her and her frown deepened.

"She snogged me!" he protested. "Shoved me right against a wall!"

Rose's nerves were shot and she wasn't having him defending himself. "Right, a refined and delicate woman like that up against the likes of you. You let it happen, and then you read her mind," Rose said testily. "And now you're running off with her."

"I didn't read her mind, I only examined it," he said. "I have to save her, Rose. Surely you can see that? She's a key historical figure. She dies early, it could change the course of history. You might never be born. I can't risk that," he said.

Rose frowned again. His tone was sincere, but she still felt betrayed. "What is it with you and Queens?" she muttered.

He coolly ignored her little jibe. "I promised her when she was a little girl, that I'd save her from the monsters. Didn't I promise?"

"Yeah," she admitted.

"You want me to go back on my promise, and risk history on top of it?"

Rose felt obstinate faced with the Doctor's sensible reasoning, but she was scared. She didn't like the thought of being away from him — not after they'd finally come together. They'd already had several adventures — look how badly it had almost turned out just by them taking separate elevators! She knew she should think more rationally, but to be honest, she was panicking at the thought of leaving without him.

Trying to get a grip, she attempt to look at the situation from his side. She knew how the Doctor felt about keeping his promises. She remembered the promise he'd made to the Daleks when she was a prisoner on their ship. It had been an awesome sight to behold, the terrible armored creatures scattering in a panic at a word from her beloved Doctor.

Heart in her throat, she reluctantly shook her head.

"Course not," he said pulling her closer. She laid her head on his chest, listening to the double hearts beating, desperately trying to breathe him in. She wasn't about to lose him forever. He wouldn't let that happen. Would he? Her thoughts kept spiraling around to the beautiful and charming Reinette.

"But Doctor, she's in love with you," Rose whispered, "and you seem to admire her so."

"I'm easy to fall in love with — Time Lords are pretty impressive, you know," he said.

"But you've grown so close so quickly," Rose insisted.

"You mean the last ten hours?" he rumbled. "She is a remarkable woman, but you must really think I'm fast."

"I didn't mean that," Rose sighed. "She's beautiful, brilliant, well-bred, rich..."

"You are beautiful and brilliant and she's a commoner anyhow," he retorted, "and what does she have you don't have?"

Rose finally looked up at him and was amazed at what she saw. His sparkling blue eyes were full of confidence and love for her.

"You've got the wrong idea, Rose," he whispered. "I'm not trying to be rid of you or move on from you. Never," he promised.

As he gently lifted his hand to her temple, she felt a pang at the idea that he had just been with Reinette, touched her in just the same fashion. But then his cool fingers met her skin, his mind sang into hers, and she fell deeper into his embrace.

She felt more than saw his recent memories. She felt the rush of Reinette sweeping into his personal space, the youthful exuberance of the young woman's kiss tickling his mind as he hastily threw up defenses, drawing back from the onslaught of her heightened emotions, but still left dazed by the passion she'd built up imagining him over the years, released into him through her kiss.

She felt his restraint as he examined Reinette's brain for the effects of the android's scans — felt his embarrassment as she picked up stray thoughts he hadn't realized he needed to shield, particularly the idea of himself as a "lonely angel" —a lovely image Rose had already adopted, much to his chagrin. It made Rose realize all over again how much he didn't understand about the human psyche, how world-shattering contact with him was for those he encountered, much less those who became his companions.

She felt him dance with Reinette, showing off his grace and elegance in the courtly dances of Versailles before haughty eighteenth-century eyes, until the King stepped forward and claimed his new chief mistress. The Doctor spent the rest of the evening pouring banana daquiris, trying not to think about the excellent rum and its cost in the lives of slaves, playing at inebriation to soothe over the vulnerabilities Reinette had unknowingly intruded against.

And then the Doctor opened the doors he'd slammed closed against Reinette, the doors that guarded his inmost thoughts, and Rose felt the glorious sensation of the Doctor settling over her mind, caressing her with all the love in his soul.

Do you see? she heard him ask. I'll always appreciate an inquisitive mind, a bright spirit. But you, Rose— I belong to you.

"You can do it, right?" the Doctor murmured. "Wait for me a while, just in case I find a way back, but then, push the button, and I'll be there waiting for you."

Rose remembered the miracle of the Tardis materializing around her, whisking her out of the midst of an angry horde of Daleks. She'd trusted him then, and she'd trust him now.

She nodded and he smiled.

"See you soon," he said, and turned to go. He mounted the horse while Rose stood in the Tardis door, watching.

"And Rose?" the Doctor added.

"Yes Doctor?" she said.

"I love you —" he called, and the gallant horse leapt with him, shattering the mirror.

She waited three days. Three days checking and rechecking the broken time windows for any signs of life. The clockworks had all shut down, slumped listlessly, now that they'd lost all hope of acquiring Madame de Pompadour's brain.

Finally she and Mickey had a huge row which escalated into a wrestling match, Mickey shouting for her to push the damn button already.

She won, but in tears, she pushed the button, and Emergency Protocol One took them back to London, 2006.

The time rotor plunged, the Tardis spun through the vortex, and the trip back three thousand years took about thirty seconds. The Doctor had taken away the hologram since she already knew everything he wanted to say, so there was no trace of his familiar presence at the console. The Tardis landed with a thud and the rotor settled.

She stood at the console, staring, terrified to open the door. What if he wasn't there? What if something had happened? What if he'd been guillotined during the Terror, or poisoned by mustard gas during the First World War, or blown up in the Blitz? What if he'd traveled and been eaten by cannibals?

What if he'd forgotten, or simply no longer cared?

Mickey had packed his things, and emerged from the corridor with his knapsack over his shoulder. "Come on," he said impatiently and threw open the door, striding out into the sunlit back street near the Powell Estates. It smelled like April.

Rose staggered out of the Tardis, feeling sick.

Where was he? Why wasn't he there?

Stumbling like the dead, she somehow dragged herself up the stairs to her old flat and let herself in.

Her mum met her in the hall. "Rose! About time you turned up! The Doctor's been waiting here for hours."

"The Doctor?" Rose gasped.

There he was, same man, same beautiful man, looking maybe two or three years older, dressed in a jumper and dark jeans and boots. God, he was gorgeous.  
He'd lost the jacket somewhere and his hair was bit longer, but his eyes, his brilliant blue eyes, were just the same as they flashed up at her with love and longing.

"Did you forget me already?" he said, standing, his gaze drinking her in.

She flew into his arms, and Jackie's outraged screech at their lack of propriety was ignored as they kissed and reconnected, their minds singing in utter joy at their reunion.

Two and a half centuries, and he was more in love with her than ever.


End file.
